On Senior Night at Bill Armstrong Stadium, No. 2 Indiana men's soccer closed out non-conference play Friday night against Division III Hanover. The Hoosiers honored 12 seniors before kickoff, then delivered with a 7-0 win to improve to 11-0-2 on the season.
The senior class has played a monumental role in keeping Indiana unbeaten this late in the season, and head coach Todd Yeagley said the group's commitment goes beyond the field.
“We’re investing in these young men and their lives,” Yeagley said postgame regarding the seniors. “These guys are pouring everything into this season...They’re motivated, and you can see that by the way they’re going out.”
That impact showed up early. With eight seniors in the starting lineup, Indiana wasted no time getting going, and every goal in the match came from a senior. Four different seniors found the back of the net.
The first came from Bennett Painter, who got the Hoosiers on the board in the second minute of the match. Painter's first goal of the season came off an assist from Grant Paskus, which also happened to be Painter's first shot of the season.
Indiana quickly extended it to a two-goal lead with defender Clay Murador scoring his first goal of the season in the seventh minute.
Senior Collins Oduro walked into the game with zero goals on the season and ended up having three before halftime. His first of the night came in the 14th minute with a shot coming from just outside the box.
“Collins needed to get a goal tonight," Yeagley said. “He needed to see the ball hit the back of the net.”
A minute and 45 seconds later, forward Oliver Moller-Jensen reached a milestone, scoring his 10th goal of the season in the 15th minute. Moller-Jensen now has three goals in the past two games.
After multiple failed attacks and two saves from Webster Dugan, Indiana was finally able to break through with two goals in the span of 26 seconds.
It was a picture-perfect 36th minute for Oduro as he was responsible for both goals in that span. The pair of goals were both assisted by Jacobo Fedrizzi.
Soon after, in the 41st minute, Oduro was subbed out after securing his first collegiate hat trick.
After a slow start in the second half, contradictory to the first, Oduro was subbed back onto the pitch in the 75th minute. That decision by Yeagley is what led to Indiana’s seventh goal of the night.
In the 83rd minute, Oduro broke the second-half scoring drought with his fourth goal of the night — one to be remembered for Oduro.
“This was kind of the game I really wanted to just get the goals going,” Oduro said. “My coach always talks about having composure in front of the goal. ...It was awesome just feeling that and executing it tonight.”
On the other end, freshman goalkeeper Ryan Hunsucker made his collegiate debut, even in a lineup filled with seniors. He didn't see much action as the Panthers only had one shot on goal.
Hanover was able to find some success defensively after the break, allowing one goal in the second half compared to six in the first.
With the win, Indiana is now 11-0 when playing at Bill Armstrong Stadium this season. Now, with only five regular-season games remaining, Indiana will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, to face Rutgers and resume Big Ten play on Oct. 16.
